HARRISBURG, Pa. (WTAJ) — A bill that would set minimum appliance efficiency standards for commercial and household appliances and plumbing fixtures has passed the Pennsylvania House.
State House Reps. Jennifer O’Mara (D-Delaware County) and Tom Mehaffie (R-Dauphin County) House Bill 1615 passed the Pennsylvania House with bipartisan support on Tuesday, May 7. The pair says that if the new standards are enacted it would save Pennsylvania residents and businesses hundreds of millions of dollars each year, and cut climate pollution by thousands of tons annually.
“After six years of working on this legislation, I am thrilled that House Bill 1615 has finally passed the House,” State Rep. Jennifer O`Mara said. “Establishing energy efficiency standards is an effortless way we can reduce the carbon footprint of Pennsylvanians without having to make radical changes to their daily lives.”
By 2030, the benefits from the efficiency standards would include:
- Save enough energy in one year to power over 56,000 homes
- Reduce annual carbon emissions by 384,000 metric tons annually, equivalent to the global warming pollution from over 85,000 gasoline powered cars driven for a year
- Save 9.6 billion gallons of water annually, as much as used by nearly 178,000 Pennsylvania homes each year
- Reduce consumer utility bills by nearly $300 million annually, with savings of up to $600 million per year by 2040
“Seemingly every family in central Pennsylvania is struggling with higher-than-average utility bills that are devastating their home budgets,” Representative Tom Mehaffie said. “Appliances with greatly increased efficiency can help our households use less energy overall, which can reduce those bills and ease the stress on families.”
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HB1615 had more than 50 House cosponsors from across the state. It now moves to the state Senate.